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Letter from Council President |
2010-07-29 |
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To Members of American Lutheran from Your Church Council President
On Sunday, the 27th of June, 290 members of our congregation participated in the first vote to decide whether or not American Evangelical Lutheran should leave the ELCA. 190 voted to leave; 100 voted to stay. A two thirds majority of those voting was needed for the resolution to pass which fell short of that number by very few votes.
At its regular meeting in July, the church council was presented a petition with 171 signatures on it, requesting a second first vote. Our church’s constitution states that ten percent of the voting members, or in our case approximately 50, may call for a special meeting of the congregation for a specific purpose.
Therefore, your council was mandated to schedule a second first vote and has determined that vote will take place following the 9:00 worship service on August 8 at 10:15 A.M.
There has been some misunderstanding concerning the voting process a congregation must take to terminate its membership with the ELCA. A church must vote twice, with at least 90 days between and both votes must pass. There cannot be a second vote unless the first vote passes.
Your church council has attempted to inform its members concerning the reason for its presentation of the resolution to leave the ELCA during forums which have been held over the past four months. We have
tried to offer information which represents both sides of the issue including a speaker from Lutheran CORE and the Bishop of the SD Synod. If you have not attended any or all of these forums and would like to search for information concerning the changes in our synod over the last ten years, I would suggest looking at the Lutheran CORE website (www.lutherancore.org). American Lutheran put its trust in Lutheran CORE several years ago when it voted to join that organization. You will also find information there concerning the NALC, the synod which is being formed in response to the crisis in the ELCA.
An upcoming forum is scheduled for Sunday, August 1st. Kirk Dean will share information concerning the decision his church made several years ago to leave the ELCA and join the LCMC. Kirk is a member of Atonement Lutheran in Fargo.
I am deeply concerned about the division which seems to be developing in our congregation. And therefore: I ask you to put aside personal feelings about people and issues not related to our vote to leave or stay with the ELCA and focus on the direction that American Lutheran should take. This vote and the results of it will affect our congregation for many years to come. Like I have, many of you have come from strong Lutheran roots, several generations of faithful believers. I ask you to consider how we as a church might best preserve our Lutheran heritage and its teachings in order to pass them on to our children and grandchildren as has been done for us.
And most importantly, I ask you to pray for God’s guidance as you study the issues concerning this vote and make your decision.
One thing I believe that almost everyone wants is unity. I also believe that unity will not be found in a building, a group of people, or a church body, no matter what it is, but only in Jesus Christ and his Word, which never changes.
Ron Anderson |
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9:35 am Educational Hour
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10:45 am Worship Service
WOW (Worship on Wednesday) 6:30 pm |
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401 South Flynn Drive
Milbank SD 57252
605.432.5566 |
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